30A Sea-esta Beach Villa

Sandestin Wine Festival

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , , ,
30abeachvilla.com

The 34th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival will take place April 16-19, 2020. The Sandestin Wine Festival has been named the “Best Annual Event” by Destin Magazine, and is known as the Best event in the Visit South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival area.

The Sandestin Wine Festival at Baytowne Wharf brings an opportunity for discovery. Four days of unique events open up a wide range of experiences from attending wine dinners with celebrity chefs, participating in preview events throughout the year, and taking part in wine tastings that showcase hundreds of wines.

Wine novices are able to learn more about wines and sample from a comprehensive selection in all varieties, styles, and price ranges. Wine aficionados enjoy meeting winemakers, asking detailed questions, and acquiring hard to get selections. An added bonus is the opportunity to immediately purchase your favorite selections at the ABC Fine Wine and Spirits Retail Tent at a discounted rate. Everyone gets to enjoy the live music, interactive experiences at the Culinary tents, and shops and dining of the Village of Baytowne Wharf. THIS EVENT IS RAIN OR SHINE!

The 34thAnnual Sandestin Wine Festival is sure to be a memorable event.

For Ticket Information: http:www.sandestinwinefestival.com

9th Annual 30A Wine Festival

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , , , ,
9th Annual 30A Wine Festival

The ninth annual 30A Wine Festival returns to the beautiful community of Alys Beach Wednesday, February 19 through Sunday, February 23, 2020. Showcasing renowned vintners and beloved culinary personalities, the five-day celebration will benefit the Children’s Volunteer Health Network.

It is composed of intimate dinners, a mixology seminar, grand tastings, croquet, and more.  On Thursday night, Garden & Gun will host “Oysters and Champagne,” a VIP party on the Central Park Lawn. Discover the best sparkling wine pairings for oyster varieties from around the South. Live music, culinary culture, and plenty of bubbly will leave you satisfied and ready to take on the rest of the weekend’s festivities.

One of the most beautiful new towns in the world, Alys Beach is located on Scenic Highway 30A in Florida’s panhandle, along what The New York Times said “may be the best beach in the continental U.S.”

For ticket inf0rmation: https://www.30awinefestival.com/

Harvest Wine & Food Festival at WaterColor

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , ,
Harvest Wine & Food Festival at WaterColor

Following their most successful auction to date, Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) has grand plans for the return of Harvest Wine & Food Festival to South Walton October 24-26 at WaterColor, Fl.

A three-day affair, Harvest Wine & Food Festival has been recognized as one of the premier fall festivals in the southeast. Patrons are provided the opportunity to sip and savor over 250 world-class wines paired with the best in regional Gulf Coast cuisine, all while enjoying the beautiful beach town of WaterColor.

The Grand Tasting, held from 1 to 4 pm Saturday, October 26 in Cerulean Park is the main event and is designed to highlight harvest season at the beach. Large seafood, barbeque, and provisional stations manned by celebrity chefs from throughout the southeast and complimented by the best restaurants along the Emerald Coast are combined with tasting stations featuring over 250 wines from around the world.

For ticket information visit www.HarvestWineandFood.com

Underwater Museum of Art

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , ,

30abeachvilla.com

Recently named by TIME Magazine as one of 100 “World’s Greatest Places,” the UMA is the first presentation of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA)’s Art In Public Spaces Program and is produced in collaboration with the South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA). The purpose of the UMA is to create art that becomes marine habitat, expanding fishery populations and providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in SoWal.

With support from Visit South Walton, the Alys Foundation, Visit Florida, and the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the sculptures were deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA and FDEP permitted artificial reef project that includes nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in 58 feet of water. The 2019 installation joins the seven sculptures deployed last June on a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park, expanding the nation’s first permanent underwater museum. The UMA patch will continue to be filled with several new sculptures annually.

Admission to the UMA is free. No ticket or reservation is required. However, the UMA is only accessible in person as a dive location. Divers who wish to visit the site can take a dive boat .93 miles off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park. The coordinates for the center sculpture (SWARA Skull) are N 30*18.754  W 30*09.562.

Visit  www.UMAFL.org for more information.

Rags to Riches Regatta at Grayton Beach

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , ,
Rags to Riches Regatta at Grayton Beach

The 23rd edition of the annual Rags To Riches Regatta returns to Grayton Beach on Saturday, June 29th, 2019 in celebration of American Independence Day. The small catamaran race is a tradition among SoWal sailors, families, friends, and Grayton Beach lovers. Come out to watch the regatta take off from the shores of Grayton Beach, have a cold one from Grayton Beer Company and pick up a tee shirt commemorating the 2019 Regatta. Relax and watch the colorful catamarans on the Gulf as they race to Seagrove Beach and back to Grayton.

This is a July 4th weekend tradition held on Grayton Beach each year. Always a colorful and action-packed day on the beach filled with sails, friends and fun. Local sailors gather for the legendary Rags to Riches Regatta, a Hobie Cat Race with a course between Grayton Beach and Seagrove. More than a dozen captains show up with their crew and 16-foot Hobies to negotiate the famously rowdy Gulf.  Cold beer & tee-shirts available for spectators to purchase. All proceeds benefit the South Walton Artificial Reef Association. This South Walton July tradition is organized by Grayton Beer Company.

http://www.sowal.com/story/rags-to-riches-regatta-returns-to-grayton-beach

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach!

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , , ,
30abeachvilla.com Alys Beach 30A

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is a colorful and creative projection art festival where artists from around the globe use the latest digital technologies to create and project original works onto the ubiquitous white walls of Alys Beach. The 12th Annual Festival takes place May 17-18, 2019.

Featured in National Geographic’s “24 Unconventional Art Destinations Around the World”, the immersive art experience is sometimes referred to as “Photon Bombing,” “Guerilla Projection” or “Urban Projection”.  The festival curates the best digital creations by artists from every part of the world who use the latest design, animation and projection technologies.

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is a festival geared towards bringing these artists together in one place to celebrate and showcase their talents in a world-class coastal community, recently declared one of the most beautiful small towns in America by Architectural Digest.

Each year, the festival attracts digital artists, filmmakers, interactive designers, photographers, VJs, and fans of art, design, technology, and architecture. Thousands of dollars in cash prizes are awarded to artists, with digital submissions being received from as far away as Israel, Austria, Canada, Germany, London, India, France, Italy and China.

Opening night, Friday May, 17, is a family-friendly night featuring the 2019 projection art installations. Local food trucks and vendors are located throughout the festival, while the street party winds through Alys Beach from Scenic 30A all the way to Caliza Pool & Restaurant.  There, attendees can purchase à la carte food and beverage and experience fun for the whole family. This event is open to all ages.  Saturday evening, May 18, is an all-inclusive food and drink experience, with stops along the festival’s path featuring samples by local and regional chefs, winemakers, distillers, and breweries. The evening culminates with desserts, spirits, and casual discussions of art around the pool at Caliza Pool & Restaurant, which will showcase additional artwork. This event is 21+.

For more information, go to: www.digitalgraffiti.com/tickets2019

30th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , , ,
Sea-esta 30Abeachvilla.com: 30th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival

Known as one of the largest and most popular winter food events along Florida’s Emerald Coast, the Sandestin Gumbo Festival is just three weeks away! This popular event takes place at the Village of Baytowne Wharf on February 15-16 and is celebrating it’s 30th year!

Start off the weekend with the official kickoff on Friday at Hammerhead’s Bar & Grille with a delicious Shrimp Boil from 5-7 p.m. Pay at the door for Friday night’s festivities. On Saturday, from 12-4 p.m. is the main event where you can sample a variety of gumbo and vote for your favorite as the “People’s Choice” winner while the celebrity judges will name the “Area’s Best.” Guests can enjoy live Zydeco music from Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, family activities and the best gumbo cook-off on the Gulf Coast.

Please visit www.sandestingumbofestival.com for tickets and more information

2019 Seaside School Half Marathon & 5k Run

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , ,
2019 Seaside School Half Marathon & 5k Run

What began as a small fundraiser for the Seaside Neighborhood School is now a cherished annual tradition, with tickets for the races selling out months in advance. The Seaside School Half Marathon & 5k Run is scheduled for March 3, 2019, and will welcome runners on a fast, mostly flat course that runs through quaint beach towns along scenic 30-A. Starting at 7 a.m. from Seaside, the racers will run west past the beach towns of Watercolor, Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, and Santa Rosa Beach with the halfway point and turnaround at Gulf Place.

After the race is over, exhausted medal-toting runners are treated to a free live concert in Seaside’s amphitheater, slow-cooked barbecue, hand-blown glass trophies for category winners and Vera Bradley handbags. Half marathon finishers also receive a custom medal.

For registration information: https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/?raceId=19157#register

2019 Songwriters Festival

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , , , ,
Sea-esta 30A Songwriters Festival

The perfect mix of cool beach weather and red-hot music is what you will find during the 30A Songwriters Festival. More than 175 artists perform in this truly collaborative event, allowing some of the craft’s most talented songwriters to offer an in-depth look into the creative process. Artists will perform many live performances in intimate venues and large amphitheaters throughout the 16 beach neighborhoods of South Walton. Visit 30ASongwritersFestival.com for tickets as well as artist and schedule details, as they are available.

Features 175 songwriters and over 225 performances at more than 25 venues in South Walton.

https://30asongwritersfestival.com/

Travel Tip created by William McCracken in association with Vacation Soup

Seeing Red Wine Festival in Seaside, FL

William McCracken 30A Sea-esta Beach Villa , , , , , ,
Seaside Seeing Red Wine Festival- 30ABeachvilla.com

This fall, reds, whites, and rosés will be uncorked during Seeing Red Wine Festival, four days of wine and culinary events being held in Seaside Nov. 8 – 11, 2018. Recognized as one of the “Top 10 Can’t-Miss Fall Wine Festivals” by Fodor’s Travel, the festival draws attendees from around the world who make the trip to the iconic beach town a yearly tradition.

Guests will enjoy sipping on delicious wines, and tasting unique and delectable food pairings. Wine aficionados and foodies will savor carefully selected Gulf Coast-to-table dishes from Seaside’s famous restaurants while sipping beautifully-paired, quality-curated wines from around the globe.  This year’s festivities include Bud & Alley’s Wine Dinner on Thursday evening, the Gulf Coast to Table Dinner on Friday, the Festival Grand Tasting on Saturday, and a Celebration Of Bubbles Brunch on Sunday, all in coveted Seaside style.

To learn more or to purchase tickets to the 28th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival, visit SeeingRedWineFestival.com.